Labour strife hitting both of Canada’s major railways at the same time is unprecedented in this country.  |  Paul Yanko photo

Railway labour dispute takes twists and turns

The Canadian agriculture sector is taking stock after the labour dispute between Canada’s two main railways and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union came to a rolling boil last week. Just after midnight Aug. 22, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Canadian National Railway made good on their threat to lock out employees. The TCRC […] Read more

Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, said the union would work with other labour groups as it mounts a legal challenge to a Saturday decision that halted work stoppages at the country's two largest railways and imposed arbitration. | Screencap via cpkcr.com

Canadian rail decision is a win for companies, union leader says

MONTREAL, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A decision obliging more than 9,000 Canadian rail workers to stay on the job is a win for the railways and could impact bargaining in other federally regulated sectors like aviation, the head of a Canadian rail workers’ union told Reuters. Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, also said the union […] Read more

The Teamsters union filed notice that conductors, locomotive engineers and other workers at CN would strike on Monday, just days after returning to work on Friday. | Reuters photo

CN workers issue strike notice for Monday

MONTREAL/OTTAWA (Reuters) — The union representing workers at Canadian National Railway said today they would strike next week, in a fresh threat to the economy after vowing to challenge a government decision to end an unprecedented rail stoppage. The Teamsters union filed notice that conductors, locomotive engineers and other workers at CN would strike on […] Read more


"Despite the Labour Minister's referral, there is no clear indication that the CIRB will actually order an end to the labour dispute at CPKC," the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said in a statement this morning. | CPKC photo

Teamsters issue strike notice to CN, CPKC stoppage ongoing

UPDATED: 0930 CST – August 23, 2024 – Glacier FarmMedia – The union representing Canadian National workers has issued a strike notice to the company, effective Monday. This comes after the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said this morning that workers at Canadian National (CN) would be headed back to work today. Related stories: WP […] Read more



CN and CPKC's coast-to-coast rail networks in Canada connect south of the border and serve as important supply chain links to trade corridors and ports across North America. | File photo

Rail lockout will roil North American supply chains

OTTAWA (Reuters) — Canada’s two main railways locked out around 10,000 of their Canadian unionized workers early today, starting an unprecedented simultaneous work stoppage that will grind almost all railway freight movement in the country to a halt. How integrated are the rail networks across North America? Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City […] Read more

At 12:01 AM EDT this morning, after negotiations that began last year failed to bring about a resolution to the dispute, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City announced at that they would lock out their employees who are members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). The move affects roughly 9,000 employees at the two companies. | File photo

Canada’s railways grind to a halt

The lockout of rail workers by Canada’s two major railways has begun. At 12:01 AM EDT this morning, after negotiations that began last year failed to bring about a resolution to the dispute, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City announced at that they would lock out their employees who are members of the […] Read more

The countdown to the lockdown deadline set by the railways runs out at one minute past midnight tonight. | File photo

Time runs out for a negotiated settlement for Canada’s railway labour dispute

Deadline for lockout set by two major railways expires tonight at one minute past midnight

UPDATED: 0745 CST August 22, 2024 – Glacier FarmMedia – As pressure mounts on the federal government to intervene in the labour dispute between Canada’s two largest railways and their workers, the threat of a stoppage became reality earlier today. The countdown to the lockdown deadline set by the railways ran out at one minute […] Read more



Daman Grewal, a senior operations manager with British Columbia-based Centurion Trucking, would normally expect 20 or 30 online postings from shippers seeking trips east across Canada on an August Monday. This past Monday morning, he saw more than 500. | File photo

Truckers scramble as railway stoppage looms

TORONTO (Reuters) — As Canada braced for a freight rail stoppage that could hit industries ranging from autos to agriculture, the trucking sector said it faced higher demand it could not meet. Unless labour agreements are reached, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, which hold a duopoly, plan to indefinitely halt operations on […] Read more